WICHITA FALLS — Leading Wichita Falls High 3-0 after six minutes Thursday, the Wylie football team allowed 31 unanswered points over the next two quarters to fall to the Coyotes 41-25 in a crucial District 3-5A Division II matchup at Memorial Stadium.
Wylie, which opened the game with a kickoff return to the Wichita Falls 28-yard line, a punt that pinned the Coyotes at their own 1 and an interception to set up a 22-yard field, looked early like a team determined to even its league record at 1-1. But the Bulldogs had to a settle a field goal after failing to score twice from the 2, and WFHS took it to them from there, building a 24-3 lead by halftime and increasing that to 28 points early in the third quarter.
Led by quarterback Bricen Vialpando, who rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries, the Coyotes ran for 308 yards as a team, keeping the ball away from the Wylie offense, which struggled to find any consistency until the third quarter.
TUSCOLA — A year ago, a young Jim Ned boys cross country team was thrilled to simply qualify for the state meet with a second-place regional finish. The Indians’ subsequent sixth-place finish at state was viewed as icing on top of the greatest season the program had ever known. 
Albany’s Denney Faith had high expectations before the 2021 season regarding Cole Chapman taking over the reins of the Lions’ attack. 
Who says defensive players can’t be the Player of the Week?
Eastland 48, Millsap 27 — Keaton Hicks and Cooper Wright combined for 218 yards passing and three touchdowns as Eastland started district play with a key win. 
Hico 14, Cross Plains 6 — The Tigers scored a huge victory for their playoff hopes, intercepting the Buffaloes four times to overcome a 231-173 deficit in total offense.
Brady 54, Ballinger 41 — JD Ibarra rushed for 217 yards and five scores to help the Brady Bulldogs to a district-opening stunner in Ballinger.
Brock 42, Whitesboro 21 — After going to halftime tied with the Bearcats at 21, the No. 2 Eagles scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to remain unbeaten at 6-0 overall and 3-0 in district play.
Breckenridge 44, Clyde 29 — Jerry Lawson rushed for 106 yards and four TDs and Anson Rodgers rushed for 143 yards and two more scores to lift Breckenridge to a tough road win in the district opener for both clubs. 
Pampa 58, Big Spring 7 — Playing without standout quarterback Gabriel Baeza, the Steers had a rough night in Pampa, turning the ball over five times in a blowout loss to the Harvesters.
Stephenville 35, Waco La Vega 7 — The No. 2 Yellow Jackets dominated the sixth-ranked Pirates from start to finish, building a 28-0 halftime lead and cruising from there to a huge district-opening victory.
Goldthwaite 28, San Saba 26 — Jackson Patrick rushed for 216 yards and a score to lead Goldthwaite to a win over its archrival in the district opener for both clubs. 
Forsan 27, Colorado City 7 — Major Stockton threw for 68 yards and a score and rushed for 70 yards and another touchdown to lead Forsan to a win in the district opener for both clubs. 
Idalou 62, Coahoma 24 — The Wildcats piled up 569 yards in total offense, including 384 yards rushing to hand Coahoma a loss in the district opener for both clubs.
TUSCOLA — For the upstart Early Longhorns to have any shot at upsetting defending Class 3A DI state champion Jim Ned, they absolutely had to do two things: quickly seize the momentum and win the turnover battle. 
ROSCOE — After laboring through a combined 5-25 record over the last three seasons, the surprising Roscoe Plowboys have already won that many games in 2021 — off to their first 5-1 start since 2007. 